The monsoon season this year has certainly not been a blessing for Pakistan. While the monsoon rains have mostly been considered the occasion for jubilation and joy and of the atypical summer rains, the recent spell that has resulted in catastrophic flooding across the nation is definitely not what Pakistanis were looking forward to.

Pakistan is facing its worst flood in the past 80 years, as heavy monsoon rains which have been falling since July 2010 have caused severe flooding on the Indus river plains, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, lower Punjab and parts of Balochistan. The floods have claimed more than 1600 lives and about 20 million people, one-tenth of the Pakistan population, are suffering and/or homeless. An area of over 160,000 square kilometers – about a fifth of Pakistan's total land mass – is submerged under water. Outbreaks of disease due to lack of clean drinking water and sanitation have been reported, as fresh flooding has begun.

Several bloggers, including some Global Voices contributors in Pakistan, have been actively involved in the relief and rescue efforts. Some of them have been live-blogging their experiences of travelling to flood-prone areas and administering to and distributing relief supplies to those affected by the disaster.